Full-fashioned knitting



Oct. 26, K HOWlE FULLFASHIONED KNITTING 3 Sheets-Shea?l l Filed April 3J 1951 INVENTOR /fE/wvfm//oV/E,

BY M

ATTORNEKS @SL 26, 1954 K HOW|E FULL-FASHIONED KNITTING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 3, 1951 K W INVENTOR ATTORNEY-5 Oct. 26, 1954 K. HowlE FULL-FASHIONED KNITTING 3 Sheets-SheetI 3 Filed April 5, 1951 .NVENTOR /EA/A/EW/ME) BY l( F /VA ATTORNELS Patented Oct. 26, 1954 FULL-FASHIONED KNITTING Kenneth Howie, Norristown, Pa., assignor to Wildman Mfg. Co., Norristown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 3, 1951, Serial No. 218,949

(Cl. 66-l10) 24 Claims.

This invention relates to knitting and knitting machines and is especially applicable to ne gauge full fashioned knitting with machines of the C'otton type.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a method and means for eliminating the formation of troublesome and unsightly selvedge loops, particularly at the inner or visible selvedge edge of splicing yarn sections.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method and means for eliminating the formation of similar loops in work being subjected to narrowing operations.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method and means for knitting enabling short nosed sinkers and dividers to be employed. This method and means has great advantage as it makes higher speeds of operation practical, by reducing the amounts of motion of other parts at various stages of the operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved method and means for laying and sinkering new courses of yarn as they are laid by the yarn carriers.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of illustrative embodiments of the method and means of the invention. The invention resides in the novel features and steps and combinations thereof hereinafter described and its scope is defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings forming a part of this specification:

Fig. l is a diagram showing splicing yarn in solid lines and body yarn in dotted lines, following laying and sinkering of a course of yarn.

Fig. 2 is a similar diagram after pulling through of the course laid in Fig. 1 and partial laying and sinkering of the next course of yarn.

Fig. 3 is a diagram similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the formation of one type of unsightly selvedge loops.

Fig. 4 is a diagram similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the formation of other types of unsightly selvedge loops.

Fig. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a double-catch bar arrangement using long nosed sinkers and dividers of different overall lengths.

Fig. 6 is a partial view of a similar arrangement accommodating sinkers and dividers of substantially equal overall lengths.

Figs. 'I and 8 are diagrammatic illustrations of means for operating the sinker and divider catch bars for the practice of the invention.

Figs.` 9 and 10 are details illustrating the new method of knitting employing short nosed sinkers and dividers.

In Cotton type machines as soon as the dividers are advanced following the slurring operation, the common catch bar engages with the butts of the sinkers, and the sinkers and dividers move as a single body during the rest of the knitting cycle, until the catch bar is raised to again free the jack sinkers for slurring.

In the conventional Cotton type machine, during the narrowing operation, the common catch bar remains continuously engaged with the jack sinker butts so that the sinkers and dividers move as a single unit throughout the narrowing operation. v

During the knitting cycle in the conventional machine, the aligned tips of the single body of sinkers and dividers overlie the edge of the fabric carried on the needles except that as the new loops are being pulled olf the tips of the sinkers and dividers these tips are all retracted just sufficient to permit this operation. Following the pulling of the new loops into the fabric in the conventional machine, the sinkers and dividers as a single body are advanced above the fabric and the needles rise between them. At this time the body of sinkers and dividers is so positioned relative to the rising needles that the needles rise through the throats i. e. just back of the yarn notches of the sinkers and dividers. By this provision, when it is desired to take a yarn out of action, the yarn is pushed out by the yarn notches so that the needles rise behind it, and that yarn is thus behind the needles and cannot become engaged therein.

This interval, when the sinker and divider body is advanced above the fabric and the needles are rising through the sinker and divider throats, is the part of the cycle in which shogging to or from the narrowing cycle, hereinafter referred to, is effected.

In the knitting cycle, after the just mentioned rise, the needles drop out somewhat and the sinkers and dividers retract as a body until only the tips of their noses overlie the fabric. The conventional machine is then ready for the laying and slurring of the next course of yarn.

Tight selvedging AReferring to Figs. 1 and 2, the sinkers S and dividers D in such conventional machines all have uniform long noses (such as indicated at NS and SN). The body and splicing yarn SY and BY for the next course in such machines are laid above the mutually aligned long noses of the sinkers and dividers forward of their yarn notches, in position to be sinkered between alternate needles by the jack sinkers S, as they are advanced sequentially by the slur cock.

When the end of a Course for any given yarn, as splicing yarn SY, has been laid in such machines, the yarn carrier (SYC, Fig. 1) comes to rest above a divider OD, which lies just outside the last sinker that is knitting the splicing yarn SY. The selvedging needle SN operating on the yarn being selvedged (i. e. on yarn SY) lies outside the next preceding or marginal divider MD. The carriers remain in the attained positions during the dividing of the new loops and the remainder of the knitting cycle, until they move for the yarn laying and slurring operation'for formation of the next course of stitches. As the yarn carrier SYC starts its return trip for the next course (Fig. 2) the sinker OS which lies between the dividers MD and OD and just outside the selvedging needle SN, is not supposed to engage or sinker the yarn being selvedged, i. e. the splicing yarn SY in Fig. 2. As long as the selvedging yarn SY leading to the carrier above the outside divider OD remains above the nose of the outside sinker OS, it is lifted therefrom as the return of the outside carrier SYC commences, and a tight selvedge loop (TSL) is produced, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, especially when the marginal divider SM is a slotted divider as shown in Fig. 5.

Outside sinker selvedge looping Referring now to Fig. 3, if the yarn SY being selvedged falls off the nose of the outside sinker OS, before its carrier SYC starts its return trip, and lies under the outside sinker OS on the next advance of the sinkers and dividers, then the yarn SY has to wrap around the nose of the outside sinker OS before being laid about the nose of the marginal divider MID as diagrammatically indicated at W', Fig. 3. As a result, when this happens, large, loose, unsightly selvedge loops are formed, as indicated at LSL in Figs. 3 and 4.

The enlarged selvedge loops at the outer edges of the full fashion fabric, while they do not show in the knitted stocking, being concealed in the seam, are frequent causes of needle breakage in the operation of the machine. The occurrence of such loops LSL at the inner selvedge of the splicing yarn SY, also causes some needle breakage, and, as they are visible in the body of the fabric, their appearance is highly objectionable.

Seloedge looping caused by narrowing Aside from the looping caused by dropping of the yarn from the noses of outside sinkers OS, another and probably more frequent cause of objectionable selvedge looping is the retraction and advance of the sinkers and dividers during the narrowing operation.

During narrowing (a term used generically herein to cover transfer of stitches between needles, which may be accompanied by either reduction in width or increase in width of the fabric) the narrowing points may be operated to pick up a group of stitches at the edge of the fabric, and either move them inwardly one or two needle spaces to reduce the width, or move them outwardly to increase the width.

For the narrowing procedure, the machine shogs the cam shaft so that the needle motion is altered, no slurring occurs, no yarn is laid, and the narrowing mechanism is transferred from a plain circular cam (that held it stationary during the knitting operation) to a cam that gives it the up and down motion requisite to the narrowing operation. y

In more detail, after the pulling through of the last course of loops preceding narrowing, the sinkers and dividers have their noses aligned in an advanced position overlying the fabric, and hold it down to strip the new loops down to the stems of the needles as the needles rise. The needles then rise between the sinkers and dividers until their heads are slightly above the tops of the sinkers and dividers and the narrowing points also enter between the sinkers and dividers opposite the needles carrying the stitches to be transferred. The needles then press against the narrowing points, and descend with them between the knockover bits to transfer the marginal stitches to the narrowing points, the other stitches simply entering the heads of their respective needles.

After the loops to be transferred are moved onto the narrowing points, the way must be cleared for their lateral transfer. To this end the sinkers and dividers are. fully retracted from between the needles and narrowing points, and simultaneously the needles drop out somewhat while the needles and narrowing points rise above the knock-over bits to position the narrowing points and the fabric carried in part thereby and in part by the needle heads, in the clear space vacated by the sinkers and dividers. The narrowing points are then moved laterally to. a position in alignment with the needles to receive the stitches being carried thereby, the marginal yarn carriers being moved laterally two spaces for each two space displacement of the narrowing points. The needles and the narrowing points then descend between the knockover bits where the heads of the needles aligned with the narrowing points are pressed into the eyes thereof and in conventional practice the common moving bar or catch bar again advances the whole body of sinkers and dividers above the fabric, ready to strip the loops from the narrowing points onto the needle Shanks as the needles and narrowing points again arise between the advanced sinkers and dividers.

As soon as the transferred loops have left the narrowing points, and all the loops are on the Stems of the needles, the needles drop out somewhat and lower somewhat as the narrowing points are removed, the loops thus entering under the beards of the needles. Thereafter, the body of sinkers and dividers in the conventional machine advances to an extent comparable with its second stroke during the knitting operation, and the needles, as in that operation, rise through the throats of the sinkers and dividers, as the cam shaft is shogged to return it to the knitting cycle.

The full retraction of the sinkers and dividers to permit lateral shift of the narrowing points withdraws the sinker and divider noses from embracing relation to the selvedging yarns, and in the conventional machine it is dicult to replace the noses and standing parts in the proper relationship, as is essential to obviate the formation of objectionable selvedge loops.

If, at this time the standing part of the splicing yarn (representing any yarn being selvedged) falls the wrong side of the nose of the advancing outside divider OD (Fig. 4), as may easily occur if that nose is advanced while the standing end is somewhat slack, then outside needle ON may engage or pass behind the standing end, thus producing an extra knit-in selvedge loop, similar to KISL or KISLW (Fig. 4), in the next course. Even if the needle did not engage or pass behind the standing part lying under the outside divider OD, at the commencement of the return course of its carrier, a yarn wrapped around the nose of the outside divider OD would produce a loose selvedge loop, similar to LSL, Fig. 4.

Moreover, if the standing end of the selvedged yarn does not fall completely on the wrong side of the outside divider OD, there is still danger that it may extend across and become engaged by the yarn notch of the outside divider, and be pushed out thereby so that it may pass behind the outside needle 01N (or even behind the needlev beyond the outside divider OD if there is some slack in the standing part between the yarn notch and the carrier). This action, as the needles rise through the throats of the sinkers and dividers just before the next yarn laying operation for reasons above mentioned, may thus cause the yarn to wrap around such needle and produce one or two wale widths of extra and unsightly knit-in selvedge loops, as exemplified at KISLW, Fig. 4, in either case making the splicing thereat wider than desired, and giving an irregular appearance to the reinforcing portion of the fabric.

Obviatz'ng outside sinker form of selvedge looping The special short nosed sinker machine of my U. S. Patent No. 2,436,171 does not avoid the selvedge looping resulting from narrowing but does obviate outside sinker selvedge looping in the straight knitting operations. In that machine, the divided single catch bar retracts the short nosed sinkers to align their yarn notches with those of the dividers prior to the laying of the yarn. The noses of the sinkers being shorter than those of the dividers, their tips are thereby positioned back out of the path of the yarn to be laid. Thus the Yarn (SY, Fig. 3) in that arrangement cannot become wound about the nose of the outside sinker, since that sinker nose is out of the way when the yarn carrier SYC starts its return trip.

But in the narrowing operation the presence of short nosed sinkers in the special machine of my prior patent, does not obviate the formation of objectionable selvedge irregularities, as these are caused by advance of the outside divider on the wrong side of the splicing yarn SY, or by pushing out of the standing end of the splicing yarn by such outside divider.

Present invention The method and machine of the present invention, in contrast to the conventional and special machines above mentioned, eliminates the formation of unsightly selvedge loops of both types above mentioned, and is applicable to machines in which the sinkers and dividers are of the conventional long nosed form, to machines in which the short nosed sinker is employed, and to Cotton type machines in which, as newly disclosed herein, the sinkers and dividers are both of short nosed form.

This result is obtained by a new method of knitting with a machine employing independent catch bars for the sinkers and dividers, and in 6, which the driving means for such catch bars actuate them independently and ina novel manner during the intervals in which theconventional operation of the sinkers and dividers as a single unitary body has produced the undesired selvedge loops.

Independent catch bars, as such, are disclosed in my co-pending applications Ser. No. 55,700, filed October 21, 1948, now Patent No. 2,647,382, and Ser. No. 163,818, led May 24, 1950. In application Ser. No. 55,700, these bars are employed to give better control of short nosed sinkers during the draw down operation in a method like that of my above mentioned patent. In my application Ser. No. 163,818, they were employed to modify the dividing of the loops to control the sinker and divider loop pattern. In the present invention such independent catch bars, or equivalent means enabling independent manipulation respectively of the body of sinkers and the body of dividers, are newly manipulated during other parts of the machine cycle than those concerned with the draw down and dividing operations, and the improvements of these three specifications may thus be incorporated in a single machine if desired. The present invention comprises not only the new method of manipulating the sinkers and dividers for producing the new result, but also the improved machine, coordinated to operate in accordance with the new method.

In the narrowing phase of the invention the new method involves advancing the sinkers and delaying the advance of the dividers between the narrowing points and needles for stripping the fabric from the narrowing points onto the stems of the needles, and also holding back the dividers as the needles are rising through the throats of the sinkers and until the needle heads pass the level of the yarn notches. The first of these steps aids in preventing the standing ends of Selvedging yarns from passing under and up the wrong side of the outside dividers, as it effects a tightening of the standing ends before the divider tips are advanced past them. The second step makes sure that the outside dividers can not push out the standing ends of the selvedging yarns with their yarn notches to a point which could cause these ends to pass behind the rising outside needles, and wrap around them at the commencement of the return movements of their yarn carriers.

After the narrowing cycle has been completed in this manner and before laying of the next course of yarn is commenced, to insure against the formation of an outside sinker loop LSL the sinkers are retracted and the dividers are advanced so that the sinker tips do not overlie the fabric and only the divider tips hold the fabric down during the laying of the next course of yarn. In this way the nose of the outside sinker, whether this be a conventional long nosed sinker or a short nosed sinker, is so positioned that the yarn SY cannot wrapabout it to form an unsightly selvedge loop.

For applying the present invention to a machine using the conventional long nosed sinkers and dividers, the sinkers and dividers are provided with separate catch bars arranged for independently advancing and retracting either the entire group of sinkers or the entire group of dividers. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 5, in which the sinkers S and D have uniform long noses NS and ND, generally similar except that the divider nose is slotted in the form shown, the dividers being advanceable and re- 7. tractable as a unit by the divider catch bar DB, and the sinkers being independently advanceable and retractable by the sinker catch bar SCB when this bar is lowered to embrace their butts. As is conventional, the sinkers S are slurrable to engage the verge plate VP when the bar SCB is raised to the position shown in Fig. 5, and the bar SCB may then be advanced and lowered over the sinker butts to retract, and thereafter advance and retract, the sinkers as a group independently of the advancement and retraction of the dividers.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the dividers and sinkers are of different overall lengths so that the catch bars may operate in the same general plane without interference with each other, but the-invention is not limited to such construction as other arrangements may be employed to enable such non-interfering operation. For example, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 6, the sinkers S may have their butts upwardly directed to engage a sinker catch bar SCB, while the dividers D may have their butts downwardly directed in substantial alignment with the sinker butts, and engaged from below by a divider bar DB.

The desired motions may be imparted to the sinker catch bar SCB (exemplified in Fig. or Fig. 6) by any suitable means, one such means being diagrammatically shown in Fig. 7, in which the sinker catch bar SCB is reciprocating by a lever system I0 pivoted at II and driven during the knitting cycle by a cam I2 carried by the main shaft MS of the machine, and is raised and lowered in properly timed relation by a second lever system I4 pivoted at I5 and driven during the knitting cycle by a second cam I similarly carried. The cams I2 and I6, for the particular lever system used, are designed to advance and retract the sinkers to suit the operation of the machine, and especially, when long nosed sinkers are employed, to retract them before the laying of the yarn so that the yarn SY Fig. 3 cannot wind about the nose of the outside sinker OS to form an unsightly selvedge loop LSL.

The independent motion of the divider bar DB may be effected in any suitable way, as by a cam and lever system Il, Fig. 8, pivoted at I8 and driven by a cam I9 which may also be carried by the main shaft MS.

As above mentioned, in conventional machines of the Cotton type during the narrowing operation the` cam shaft is shogged over so that the needle motion is altered, no slurring is effected, no yarn is laid, and the narrowing mechanism is put into operation. In accordance with the present invention this shogging of the cam shaft disengages knitting cycle cams I2, I6 and I9 from the lever systems II, I and I8 and places in engagement therewith alternate cams or cam surfaces I 2a, Ia and I9@y designed to advance the sinkers and hold back the dividers for the stripping of the fabric from the narrowing points and to prevent the outside divider throats from pushing out the yarn ends and placing them behind the needles as they rise through the sinker throats at the end of the narrowing operation. In the narrowing cycle the narrowing mechanism manipulates its narrowing points INP, Fig. 5, as above described. Such mechanisms are well known to those skilled in the art, typical forms thereof being shown for example in my prior U. S. Patent No. 1,982,991, issued' December 4, 1934, and in Le Mtier Cotton (by Emile 8. Noble, edition La Maille," Paris, France, 1930), andv hence require no further description herein..

The tips of the divider noses may assist in holding down the fabric during the stripping operation and the subsequent rise of the needles through the throats of the sinkers, so long as they are not advanced past the standing ends of selvedged yarns prior to tightening thereof, and so long as their'yarn notches are not advanced to a position at which they could push out the yarn end beyond the head of the rising needle.

As above noted, before the next slurring operation is commenced in the preferred practice of the invention the relative position of the sinkers and dividers is reversed, and it will be appreciated that the dividers may be advancing to initiate this reversal as the needles are rising through the throats of the sinkers, so long as they hold back enough to permit the needles to rise outside of the standing end of a yarn that may lie across the yarn notch of the outside divider OD. As soon as the needle heads have risen above the sinker yarn notches the retraction of the sinkers may be commenced toremove their noses from between the needles so that the selvedging yarns, even if replaced on the wrong side of the outside sinkers during the narrowing operation, cannot wrap around the same and produce a loose selvedge loop, as LSL Fig. 3. Of course, when the sinkers are retracted from between the needles at this stage of the operation the divider noses overlie the fabric.

In some narrowing operations in which the yarn carrier is not moved laterally with the narrowing machine, it may be desirable to have the dividers advance ahead of the sinkers during the later stages of the narrowing operation, and the invention contemplates modification of the cams driving the independent catch bars to provide such operation when desired.

These presently described manipulations of Cotton type machines having similar length sinker and divider noses are unique, since in the conventional operation of such machines the sinker and divider noses are maintained in alignment with each other, and are all advanced as a single body to project their noses between the needles and above the fabric during stripping of the fabric from the narrowing points, as well as prior to the laying of the yarn and slurring of the jack sinkers in the knitting operation.

When the long-nosed sinkers of a conventional Cotton type machine are retracted during the laying of the yarn in accordance with this invention, the yarn may be laid on the noses of the dividers between the yarn notches thereof and the needles, and the divider noses support it for engagement by the jack sinker yarn notches as effectively as the sinker and divider noses together support it in the conventional machine.

When using the short nosed sinker improvement of my Patent No. 2,436,171, in practicing the new method of knitting of the present invention, in the narrowing operation the short nosed sinkers are advanced relative to the dividers as above described during the stripping of the stitches onto the stems of the needles, and assembly of the stitches into the heads of the needles, and the rise of the needles through the sinker throats in the narrowing operation; and the short nosed sinkers are then retracted from between the needles and the tips of the dividers only are employed to hold down the fabric during the laying of the next course of yarn as above described; the dividers being further advanced to effect the divid-ing of the stitches after the slurring operation is completed. Furthermore, as described above in connection with long nosed sinkers, the short nosed sinkers may be advanced relative to the dividers during the aforesaid later steps of the narrowing operation, if the conditions are such that an outside sinker may push out the yarn behind an outside needle, for example.

As above noted the new method of knitting provided by this invention enables the employment in Cotton type machines of short nosed sinkers and dividers. As illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 these sinkers S and dividers D have short noses 20 and 2| inclined upwardly and rearwardly to their yarn notches 22, 23 and have forwardly inclined brows 24, 25 extending upwardly from the respective yarn notches. The dividers have top edges 26 extending rearwardly from their brows 25 and lower than the upper ends of the brows 24 of the sinkers. The low level of the edges 26 of the dividers, as in prior machines, accommodates the yarn guides or carriers SYC and BYC during the dividing operation, and in accordance with the new method of knitting of this invention, as shown in Fig. these low top edges are given an added function, namely, that of receiving and supporting certain of the yarns as laid in position to be engaged and carried therefrom by the brows of the associated sinkers. In other words, the short nosed dividers D in accordance with this invention are advanced to maintain the tips of their noses between the needles N during the laying of the yarns. The narrow space between their brows and the needle row is not suicient to accommodate the number of yarn carriers, say seven to nine, to be employed. In accordance with this invention one or more, and usually all but one, of the yarn carriers are traversed above the top edges 26 of the dividers, and lay their yarns on top of said top edges. Then as the sinkers S are slurred forward the upper tips of the sinker brows 24 pick up the yarn so laid from the supporting edges 26 of the dividers and carry it forward against the needles N while at the same time the downward and rearward inclination of the brows 24 of the sinkers draw down or lower the yarn into the throats or yarn notches 22 of the sinkers and into alignment with the divider throats 23 in position to be caught thereby during the ensuing dividing operation. To facilitate this operation the forward ends of the edges 26 of the dividers D may be beveled off or relieved as shown at 21. The usual splits 28 may be provided in the divider noses below the throats thereof, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 for the purpose of affording a tighter selvedge, and it will be appreciated that as the sinkers are slurred and transfer the yarn forwardly and downwardly from the divider edges 26 and 2l, the turned portion of yarn at the selvedge will be drawn down into the split 28 ofthe marginal divider only by the tensioning of the thread, to enable the function of the split to be performed.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the only time the sinker and divider noses in Cotton type machines retract into substantially spaced relation to the needles is during a narrowing operation, and that this operation therefore is the only one in the normal cycle of the machine during which advancing sinkers or dividers may carry the yarn into an unwanted engagement in an outside needle and thereby produce unsightly inside selvedge loops. The present invention, whether applied to machines employing long nosed sinkers and dividers, short nosed sinkers and long nosed dividers, or short 10 nosed sinkers and dividers makes provision for controlling the relative advance of the sinkers and dividers during the removal of the fabric from the narrowing points and the subsequent rise of the needles to the position at which they rest during laying of the yarn, depending on which one is giving trouble by the formation 0f loose inside selvedge loops. An essential characteristic of the invention to enable the new method to be performed and the new object to be attained is the combination, with means enabling the sinkers as a group and the dividers as a group each to be advanced and retracted entirely independently of the other, of means for controlling these elements correlated to manipulate them in accordance with the new method of knitting. The provision of the independent controlling means or separate catch bars constituting a subcombination of the present invention is common also to my application Ser. No. 55,700, led October 21, 1948, and to my application Ser. No. 163,818 led May 24, 1950, but the control of the independent catch bars by the method herein described to perform the functions herein attained is not set forth in said co-pending applications.

It is to be understood that the exemplary embodiments hereindescribed are illustrative and not restrictive of the scope of the invention, the scope of the invention being dened in the appended claims. All modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are therefore intended to be included therein.

Iclaim:

1. A full fashioned knitting machine employing sinkers and dividers and having narrowing points for narrowing or widening the fabric during a narrowing cycle, particularly characterized in that it comprises means for retracting and advancing the dividers, separate means for retracting and advancing the sinkers as a group independently of the dividers, with operating means for said two advancing and retracting means formed and coordinated so that its sinkers are retracted and its dividers only overlie the fabric to hold it down where the yarn is being laid for sinkering during the knitting operation, and so that its dividers are held back while its sinkers are advanced relative thereto as they are pushed forward to overlie the fabric for stripping it from the narrowing points.

2. A full fashioned knitting machine employing spring beard needles and sinkers and dividers and having narrowing points for narrowing or widening the fabric during a narrowing cycle, particularly characterized in that it comprises means for retracting and advancing the dividers, separate means for retracting and advancing the sinkers as a group independently of the dividers, with operating means for said two advancing and retracting means formed and coordinated so that during its narrowing cycle its dividers are held back relative to its sinkers as they are pushed forward to overlie the fabric while it is being stripped from the narrowing points and so that its dividers are also held back relative to its sinkers at the end of the narrowing cycle until the needles have risen through the throats of the sinkers toward the position at which they rest for the ensuing laying of the yarns.

3. A full fashioned knitting machine comprising spring beard needles and sinkers and dividers and having knitting and narrowing cycles and narrowing points for narrowing or widening the fabric during a narrowing cycle, characterized in that it comprises a sinker catch bar engageable with its sinkers for advancing and retracting them en masse independent of the advancement and retraction of its dividers and disengageable therefrom to provide for slurring of the sinkers for sinkering the yarn, and in that it comprises a separate divider bar for advancing and retracting the dividers en masse independent of the advancement and retraction of the sinkers; said machine further characterized in that it comprises, for operating said divider bar during a knitting cycle, means formed to position the dividers in overlying relation to the fabric to hold it down during the laying of the yarn and, for operating said sinker catch bar during such knitting cycle, means formed to position the sinkers, en masse, out of overlying relation to the fabric prior to the laying of the yarn and to free the sinkers in such non-overlying position for the slurring thereof to effect sinkering of the yarn as it is laid; said machine being further characterized in that it comprises, for operating said sinker catch bar during a narrowing cycle, means formed to position the sinkers in overlying relation to the fabric to hold it down during the stripping of the transferred stitches from the narrowing points and during the subsequent rise of the needles through the throats of the sinkers toward the position at which they rest for the laying of the yarn, and, for operating said divider bar during such narrowing cycle, means formed to hold back the dividers relative to the sinkers during such stripping and needle rising operations.

4. A full fashioned knitting machine comprising spring beard needles and sinkers and dividers and having a narrowing cycle and narrowing points for narrowing or widening the fabric during the narrowing cycle, characterized in that it comprises a catch bar for its sinkers engageable therewith for advancing and retracting themv en masse independent of the advancement and retraction of its dividers, said catch bar being dis-. engageable from said sinkers to provide for slurring of the sinkers for sinkering the yarn, and in that it comprises a separate divider bar for advancing and retracting the dividers en masse independent of the advancement and retraction of the sinkers; said machine further characterized in that it comprises, for operating said sinker catch bar during a narrowing cycle, means formed to position the sinkers in overlying relation to the fabric to hold it down during the stripping of the transferred stitches from the narrowing points and the ensuing rise of the needles through the sinker throats, and, for operating said divider bar during such narrowing cycle, means formed to hold back the dividers relative to the sinkers during such stripping and needle rising operations.

5. A method for avoiding formation of objectionable inside selvedge loops of splicing yarns in the knitting of fabrics on a full fashioned knitting machine having a set of sinkers and a set f dividers with equi-length noses and having knitting and narrowing cycles, which selvedge loops are caused in conventional methods by catching of the yarn about that one of the sinkers and dividers lying just outside the inside selvedge o'f the splicing yarn, which method comprises holding down the fabric, where the splicing yarn eX- tends from the previously knit row, during those parts of the knitting and narrowing cycles in which the splicing yarn is being positioned for sinkering to form the next knit row, with only that one of the sets of sinkers and dividers that 12 When advanced above the fabric does not tend to produce objectionable inside selvedge loops.

6. A method of knitting fabrics comprising splicing yarn on a full fashioned knitting machine having a set of slurrable sinkers and a set of dividers with equi-length noses, with means for separately manipulating the sinkers en masse and independent means for separately manipulating the dividers en masse, which comprises holding down the fabric during the laying of the yarn and prior to the slurring of the sinkers with the dividers only with the sinkers retracted so that their yarn notches and noses prior to slurring are pulled back relative to the yarn notches and equilength noses of the dividers and out of the way of splicing yarn being turned and laid back for the formation of the next course of stitches.

7. A method of knitting fabrics on a full fashioned knitting machine having sinkers and dividers the noses of which are too short to engage the fabric kWhile permitting travel of yarn carriers in front of the yarn notches of the sinkers and di.- viders, and in which the dividers, in back of the nose ends thereof, have top edges lower than those of the sinkers to accommodate the thread carriers, which method comprises positioning the short nosed dividers to hold down the fabric, laying the yarn on the low top edges of the dividers, and advancing the sinkers to pick up the yarn from the top edges of the dividers and sinker it while at the same time lowering the yarn into the yarn notches of the sinkers and moving it forwardly and downwardly into a position in front of the yarn notches of the dividers.

8. A full fashioned knitting machine of the Cotton type comprising spring beard needles, a set of sinkers and a set of dividers, said sinkers being advanceable and retractable as a group and saiddividers being advanceable and retractable as group each independently of the other, said machine further comprising means for advancing the dividers only to overlie the fabric to hold it down during the laying and sinkering of the yarn, said machine further comprising a narrowing mechanism having narrowing points and means for holding back the dividers relative to the sinkers while advancing the sinkers to overlie the fabric and hold it down for stripping of the fabric from the narrowing points during the narrowing iper-91.131011,-

9. A full fashioned knitting machine of the Cotton type comprising spring beard needles, a set of sinkers and a set of dividers, said sinkers being advanceable as a group and said dividers being advanceable as a group each independently of the other and said sinkers and dividers having short noses inclined rearwardly and upwardly to their yarn notches and having forwardly inclined brows extending upwardly from their yarn notches, said short nosed dividers having top edges extending rearwardly from their brows and lower than the upper ends of the brows of said sinkers, means for advancing the short nosed dividers to overlie the fabrics to hold it down during the laying of the yarn, means for laying the yarn on the low top edges of the advanced dividers and means for slurring said sinkers. to cause their inclined brows to pick up the so laid yarn and sinker it while lowering it into the yarn notches of the sinkers and into position to be engaged by the yarn notches of the dividers.

10. A full fashioned knitting machine according to claim 9, in which the top edges of the di-,. viders adjacent the brows thereof are downwardly and forwardly inclined to facilitate lowering of the yarns during the sinkering operation.

11. A full fashioned knitting machine according to claim 9, further comprising a narrowing mechanism including narrowing points, and means for holding back the dividers relative to the sinkers while advancing the sinkers to overlie the fabric to hold it down during the stripping of the stitches from the narrowing points in the narrowing operation.

12. A full fashioned knitting machine according to claim 11, further comprising means for holding back the dividers relative to the sinkers while the needles are rising through the throats of the sinkers at the end of the narrowing operation.

13. A full fashioned knitting machine according to claim 12, further comprising means for retracting the sinkers from overlying relation to the fabric after the needles have risen through the throats thereof at the end of the narrowing operation for causing the dividers only to hold down the fabric during the ensuing yarn laying operation.

14. A method of knitting fabric comprising inside selvedged splicing yarn with a Cotton type frame comprising beard needles, a set of jack sinkers, a set of dividing sinkers, and narrowing points, which comprises advancing that set of sinkers having one of its sinkers just outside the inside selvedging needle ahead of that set of sinkers having one of its sinkers just outside the needle adjacent said selvedging needle for holding down the fabric during the stripping of loops onto the needles receiving them in the narrowing operation and during the subsequent rise of the needles through the throats of the more advanced set of sinkers toward the position at which they rest for laying of the yarn, whereby the formation of selvedge irregularity is obviated.

15. A method of knitting according to claim 14, whichl further comprises completely withdrawing from overlying relation to the fabric, at the end of the narrowing operation, the tips of that set of sinkers which were further advanced for holding down the fabric during the stripping of the yarn from the narrowing points, and holding above the fabric, until after laying of the next course of yarn therepast, the tips of only that set of sinkers which were held back during said stripping operation, whereby the formation of loose selvedge loops is obviated.

16. A method of avoiding objectionable selvedge loops in the knitting of fabric on a ne gauge full fashioned knitting machine having spring beard needles and sinkers and dividers, means for advancing and retracting the dividers, and means for advancing and retracting the sinkers as a group independently of the dividers, and having knitting and narrowing cycles; which method comprises: retracting the sinkers of the machine from above the fabric and positioning the dividers only of the machine to overlie the fabric for holding down the fabric where the yarn is being laid during the laying of the yarn for sinkering, to avoid formation of selvedge loops around the nose of an outside sinker; holding back the dividers of the machine while positioning the sinkers thereof in overlying relation to the fabric during at least the initial yarn end tightening stages of the stripping of transferred stitches from the narrowing points, to avoid looping of the selvedged yarn about an outside divider; and holding back the dividers of the machine during the rise of the needles at the end of the narrowing cycle toward the position at which they rest during the laying of the yarn so that the needles do not rise behind the yarn notches of the dividers during such rising operation.

17. A method of avoiding objectionable selvedge loops in the knitting of fabric on a iine gauge full fashioned knitting machinehaving spring beard needles and sinkers and dividers, means for advancing and retracting the dividers, and means for advancing and retracting the sinkers as a group independently of the dividers, and having a narrowing cycle; which method comprises: holding back the dividers of the machine While positioning the sinkers thereof in overlying relation to the fabric during at least the initial yarn end tightening stages of the stripping of transferred stitches from the narrowing points, to avoid looping of the selvage yarn about an outside divider; and holding back the dividers of the machine during the rise of the needles at the end of the narrowing cycle toward the position at which they rest during the laying of the yarn so that the needles do not rise behind the yarn notches of the dividers during such rising operation.

18. A method of avoiding objectionable selvedge loops in the knitting of fabric on a fine gauge full fashioned knitting machine having spring beard needles and sinkers and dividers, means for advancing and retracting the dividers, and means for advancing and retracting the sinkers as a group independently of the dividers, and having knitting and narrowing cycles; which method comprises: retracting the sinkers of the machine from above the fabric and positioning the dividers only of the machine to overlie the fabric for holding down the fabric where the yarn is being laid during the laying of the yarn for sinkering, to avoid formation of selvedge loops around the nose of an outside sinker; and holding back the dividers of the machine while positioning the sinkers thereof in overlying relation to the fabric during at least the initial yarn end tightening stages of the stripping of transferred stitches from the narrowing points, to avoid looping of the selvedge yarn about an outside divider.

19. A method of avoiding objectionable selvedge loops in the knitting of fabric on a ne gauge full fashioned knitting machine having spring beard needles and sinkers and dividers, means for advancing and retracting the dividers, and means for advancing and retracting the sinkers as a group independently of the dividers, and having a narrowing cycle; which method comprises holding back the dividers of the machine while positioning the sinkers thereof in overlying relation to the fabric during at least the initial yarn end tightening stages of the stripping of transferred stitches from the narrowing points, to avoid looping of the selvedged yarn about and outside divider.

20. A method of avoiding objectionable selvedge loops in the knitting of fabric on a ne gauge full fashioned knitting machine having spring beard needles and sinkers and dividers, means for advancing and retracting the dividers, and means for advancing and retracting the sinkers as a group independently of the dividers, and having a narrowing cycle; which method comprises holding back the dividers of the machine during the rise of the needles at the end of the narrowing cycle towards the position at which they rest during the laying of the yarn so that the 15 needles do not rise behind the yarn notches of the dividers during such rising operation.

21. A full fashioned knitting machine of the Cotton type comprising spring beard needles, a set of sinkers and a set of dividers, said sinkers being advanceable and retractable as a group and said dividers being advanceable and retractable as a group each independently of the other, said machine further comprising a narrowing mechanism having narrowing points and means for holding back the dividers relative to the sinkers while advancing the sinkers to overle the fabric and hold it down for stripping of the fabric from the narrowing points during the narrowing operation.

22. A method of laying and sinkering yarn in full fashioned knitting machines having sinkers and dividers provided with yarn notches and with upwardly and forwardly inclined brows above their yarn notches and in which the dividers have top edges extending rearwardly from their brows that are lower than the brows of the sinkers for accommodating the thread carriers, which method comprises advancing the dividers to position their low top edges ahead of the sinker brows, laying the yarn on the low top edges of the dividers back of the divider brows thereof, and slurring the sinkers to cause their higher brows to pick up the yarn from the low top edges of the dividers and sinker it while at the same time moving the yarn forwardly and downwardly past the divider brows to a position in front of the yarn notches of the dividers.

23. In a full fashioned knitting machine, in combination, spring beard needles, a set of sinkers, and a set of dividers, said dividers .being advanceable and retractable as a group and `said sinkers being slurrable and also being advanceable and retractable as a group independently of said dividers, said sinkers and dividers having yarn notches and having upwardly and forwardly inclined brows above their yarn notches, and said dividers having top edges extending rearwardly from their brows lower than the brows of the sinkers, means for advancing said dividers to position their low top edges ahead of the sinker brows, and means for laying a new course of yarn above the low top edges of the so advanced dividers rearwardly of the brows thereof in position to be caught by the higher brows of the sinkers as the latter are slurred and be carried forwardly and downwardly thereby to a position in front of the yarn notches of the dividers as said sinkers are sinkering the yarn.

24. A combination according to claim 23 in which the forward portion of the low top edge of each of the dividers is downwardly inclined to permit downward movement of the newly laid yarn as it is pushed forward by .the sinker brows even before it passes forwardly of the divider brows.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,241,988 Eissner et al May 13, 1941 2,283,771 Start et al May 19, 1942 2,384,154 Bromley et al Sept. 4, 1945 2,554,656 Berger et al May 29, 1951 

